Col de la Faucille
| Col de la Faucille | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Compass direction | North | south | |
| Pass height | 1323 m | ||
| Department | Ain | ||
| Valley locations | Valserine | Lake Geneva | |
| expansion | RD 1005 | ||
| Mountains | French Jura | ||
| Card (Ain) | |||
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| Coordinates | 46 ° 22 '11 " N , 6 ° 1' 8" E | ||
The Col de la Faucille (Eng. Sichelberg ) is a mountain crossing over the French Jura . The name comes from its sickle-shaped silhouette high above Lake Geneva . It is a section of the main road from Dijon to Geneva, which was built around 1804 at the time of Napoleon's reign (RD 1005, previously RN 5 ). The pass height is 1323 m . The pass is located in the French department of Ain between the municipalities of Mijoux and Gex .
_-_Montrond_-_Faucille.JPG)
Coming from Gex from the south-east, you pass the Fontaine Napoléon , an enclosed spring , at 1047 m above sea level .
The Mijoux-La Faucille ski area is located directly on the pass , and its gondola lift leads to the Petit Montrond ( 1534 m ). From there, descents down to Mijoux ( 1000 m ) are possible. This area is part of the Monts Jura winter sports area , which is administered by the Communauté de communes du Pays de Gex .
The Col de la Faucille is the border of the Pays de Gex free trade area . In the age of the European Economic Area , it is hardly of any importance.
Weather and climate
The climatic conditions on the pass can be very extreme. As a rule, due to the altitude, the temperature is 5 to 15 ° C, usually 7 ° C, lower than in Gex. This corresponds to the general dependence of air temperature on altitude . In summer, temperatures above 26 ° C are rarely exceeded and only for a few days. During summer thunderstorms, extreme heavy rain can occur, which in certain places floods the Gex pass road and lets stones and rubble fall onto the road. Brief snowfalls in June are very rare. In the autumnal transition phase, inversion weather conditions lasting for weeks are regularly prevalent, in which the valley of Lake Geneva is filled with high fog and Col de la Faucille is cloud-free above the fog. In winter, heavy snowfall often results in extreme road conditions on the pass or the pass road, which surprise trucks or are misjudged by drivers if there is no snow in Gex. Occasionally, the trucks remain idle for one to several days until the weather conditions improve.
View from Col de la Faucille on the valley of Lake Geneva in high fog at sunset
View of the Mijoux valley from Col de la Faucille
Overflowing sea of fog from the Geneva valley into the valley of Mijoux
Geneva valley in the high fog of Col de la Faucille at night
